What's Hot: Very slim and light, comes in many colors and has card slots.

What's Not: Not covering the edges of the display or corners of the iPhone 5.

Reviewed by Tong Zhang

Turkish fine leather case maker Mapi has released several leather cases in very different designs and styles. The Tion iPhone 5 Leather Wallet Case is the slimmest among their collection and it comes in five tasteful colors. The Tion iPhone 5 Leather Wallet Case offers good protection for the back, sides as well as some of the front glass areas on the iPhone, and it has three built-in card slots on the back. The case is light and very easy to use. It offers the convenience of easy access to all ports and buttons on the iPhone 5.

Design

Unlike the Orion Leather Case that covered most of the iPhone, the Tion iPhone 5 Leather Wallet Case has a minimalistic design. The most sturdy part of the case is the back that feels rigid and protective. Since the back is slightly larger than the iPhone 5, if you drop your phone on its sides or corners, the case will take some of the shock force from the fall. That's very good news considering none of the iPhone 5's corners is covered. The Tion iPhone 5 Leather Wallet Case covers most of the long vertical sides of the phone, and covers partially the top and bottom. The case opens on the bottom side with an easy-to-pull tab.

The sides of the case don't cover the edges of the front glass like with the Orion case, but the case does cover the top and bottom portions of the front glass. The front covers are well designed, and they are not in the way of you using the iPhone 5's display. On the back of the case, you'll find 3 slots that you can store either credit cards or business cards in. Since the leather isn't thick, the card slots aren't stiff and provide large enough room for you to store several cards without too much struggle to get them in or out.

The Tion iPhone 5 Leather Wallet Case has smooth leather surface and the stitching looks even and solid. The case comes in five solid colors including black, brown, red, tan and white. The case feels soft in hand and it's very slim. It weighs only 0.6 ounces.

Features

The Tion iPhone 5 Leather Wallet Case is a very functional case. It's very easy to open the tab on the bottom to take the phone out, but once you tuck the closure tab in, the phone sits securely in the case. The Tion case has cutouts for the silence button on the side but keeps the volume buttons under the protection of the leather. Two marks on the side leather indicate where you should press the volume buttons. The case leaves the top corners of the phone open, which means you have an easy access to the top power button. On the bottom, the closure tab is the only thing that covers the phone, and there holes on the closure tab to let the sound through the speakers and mic.

The Tion iPhone 5 Leather Wallet Case has a generous cutout on the back that gives the camera lens full view and the flash to fully illuminate. Nothing obscures the view or blocks the flash. The top front cover has cutout for the front camera and the earpiece, and the bottom cover has a semi-circle cutout leaves the Home button exposed.

Conclusion

Very slim and light, the Mapi Tion iPhone 5 Leather Wallet Case is ideal for protecting your iPhone at home and around the office. The case can certainly prevent any scratches to the back and sides of your phone, and absorb some shock should you drop the phone on the corners or sides. The case has some protection for the front glass but it doesn't cover the corners of the iPhone 5. The card slots are easy to use and we like the color selection for the case. It doesn't come with any screen protector but it works with Mapi's own or other protectors you might use. The case also comes in a nice gift box.